Method of producing astaxanthin or metabolic product thereof by using carotenoid ketolase and carotenoid hydroxylase genes

ABSTRACT

To provide a microorganism or a plant transformed with a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene and/or β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene derived from  Brevundimonas  sp. strain SD-212. The β-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene and β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene produced by  Brevundimonas  sp. strain SD-212 each have a high activity compared with those of known enzymes, and therefore microorganisms transformed with the genes encoding these enzymes can efficiently produce astaxanthin.

This application is a National Stage Application under 35 U.S.C. §371(c) of PCT Application No. PCT/JP2005/009609, filed May 26, 2005, which claims the priority of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-166625 filed Jun. 4, 2004. The entire disclosure and contents of the above applications are hereby incorporated by reference herein.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present invention relates to a method for preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof by using a microorganism or a plant transformed with an oxygenase gene encoding an enzyme that replaces a methylene group at the position 4 (4′) of a β-ionone ring (β ring) of a carotenoid with a keto group or a hydroxylase gene encoding an enzyme that introduces a hydroxyl group at the position 3 (3′) carbon of a β-ionone ring (β ring) of a carotenoid.

BACKGROUND ART

Carotenoid (also called “carotinoid”) is a general term for pigments occurring abundantly in nature and is built up from an isoprene backbone of 40 carbon atoms. To date, more than 600 species of carotenoids have been isolated (Pfander, H., ed., Key to Carotenoids, Birkhauser, Basel, 1987). Recently, prophylactic effects of carotenoids on various chronic diseases such as cancer have been recognized, and a great number of reports have been made (see, for example, Nishino, H., Murakoshi, M., Yano, M. Food Style 21, 4, 53-55, 2000; Nishino, H. et al, Carotenoids in cancer chemoprevention, Cancer Metastasis Rev. 21, 257-264, 2002; Mayne, S. T., β-Carotene, carotenoids, and disease prevention in humans, FASEB J., 10, 690-701, 1996). Among them, astaxanthin is a carotenoid that has been particularly recognized as a material for health foods, recently (Uonomi, T., Antioxidant effect and cancer-metastasis-suppressive effect of, the greatest carotenoid of all time, “astaxanthin”, Food Style 21, 4, 70-75, 2000). In vitro evaluation of astaxanthin for elimination effect against singlet oxygen, which is one type of active oxygen, shows that the effect of astaxanthin is 500 times that of vitamin E, 40 times that of β-carotene, and 10 times that of lycopene. Further, in epidemiological and clinical studies of human subjects, it has been observed that astaxanthin suppresses oxidation of blood LDL and thereby suppresses arteriosclerosis (the above-mentioned document: Uonomi, T. Food Style 21, 4, 70-75, 2000). In addition, it has been revealed that astaxanthin enhances NK cell activity and has effects on preventing cataract, age-related macular degeneration, and bladder cancer (the above-mentioned document: Food Style 21, 4, 70-75, 2000; Tanaka, T. et al, Chemoprevention of mouse urinary bladder carcinogenesis by the naturally occurring carotenoid astaxanthin, Carcinogenesis 15, 15-19, 1994).

Astaxanthin is commercially prepared by being extracted from crustacea such as euphausiid and crawfish, and is also extracted from a culture of astaxanthin-producing green algae Haematococcus pluvialis. However, in the former case, astaxanthin has disadvantages in quality and cost, namely, unevenness in pigment concentration, an odor peculiar to raw materials, and a low yield. In the latter case, astaxanthin cannot be stably produced because of the requirement of culturing for a long time at an intermediate temperature at a neutral pH. Thus, to date, stable supply of inexpensive astaxanthin has not been realized. Therefore, the stable supplying of inexpensive astaxanthin may allow various new physiological tests for evaluating the advantageous effects of astaxanthin on human health to be conducted. Consequently, the present health food market will be significantly expanded.

In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, astaxanthin may be commercially supplied by engineering a recombinant microorganism or plant that can produce a large amount of astaxanthin through metabolic engineering. Genes allowing a microorganism or a plant to produce astaxanthin have already been obtained. It has been possible to make a microorganism such as bacteria or yeast or a specific organ of a plant that does not originally produce carotenoids to synthesize astaxanthin by using these genes (Non-Patent Document 1: Miura, Y., Kondo, K., Saito, T., Shimada, H., Fraser. P. D., and Misawa, N., Production of the carotenoids, lycopene, β-carotene, and astaxanthin in the food yeast Candida utilis. Appl. Environ. Microbiol. 64, 1226-1229, 1998; Mann, V., Harker, M., Pecker, I., and Hirschberg, J., Metabolic engineering of astaxanthin production in tobacco flowers, Nat. Biotechnol. 18, 888-892, 2000). However, when all genes necessary for synthesizing astaxanthin are actually introduced and expressed, a large amount of biosynthetic intermediates of astaxanthin are accumulated in addition to astaxanthin as the end product. These intermediates are carotenoids that are biosynthetic intermediates produced in the pathways from β-carotene to astaxanthin (see FIG. 1). These pathways are rate-determining steps of astaxanthin synthesis. In an example using a recombinant Escherichia coli, in addition to astaxanthin (36 to 50%) as the end product, biosynthetic intermediates such as adonixanthin (4-ketozeaxanthin), adonirubin (phoenicoxanthin), canthaxanthin, 3-hydroxyechinenone, 3′-hydroxyechinenone were detected (Non-Patent Document 1). Recently, a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase (β-C4-ketolase) gene (crtO) derived from Haematococcus pluvialis has been introduced into Arabidopsis and expressed in the seeds. However, all carotenoids mainly produced were biosynthetic intermediates (adonirubin, canthaxanthin, and the like) of astaxanthin. It has been revealed that two enzymes, i.e., β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase (β-C3-hydroxylase) (CrtZ) and β-ionone ring-4-ketolase (β-C4-ketolase) (CrtW, CrtO, or Bkt), are responsible for the synthesis pathway from β-carotene to astaxanthin (see FIG. 1). Therefore, the efficiencies of these two enzymes have been desired to be increased for accelerating the production of astaxanthin. For example, the efficiency of β-ionone ring-4-ketolase of converting adonixanthin into astaxanthin is particularly low, and therefore adonixanthin is accumulated in many cases (Non-Patent Document 2: Yokoyama, A. and Miki, W., Composition and presumed biosynthetic pathway of carotenoids in the astaxanthin-producing bacterium Agrobacterium aurantiacum, FEMS Microbiol. Lett. 128, 139-144, 1995).

-   Non-Patent Document 1: Misawa, N., Satomi, Y., Kondo, K., Yokoyama,     A., Kajiwara, S., Saito, T., Ohtani, T., and Miki, W., Structure and     functional analysis of a marine bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis     gene cluster and astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway proposed at the     gene level, J. Bacteriol. 177, 6575-6584, 1995. -   Non-Patent Document 2: Fraser, P. D., Shimada, H., and Misawa, N.,     Enzymic confirmation of reactions involved in routes to astaxanthin     formation, elucidated using a direct substrate in vitro assay,     Eur. J. Biochem. 252, 229-236, 1998.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION Problems to be Solved by the Invention

An object of the present invention is to provide a method for efficiently producing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof by using a recombinant microorganism or a plant, which is transformed with genes encoding an enzyme that replaces a methylene group at the position 4 of a β-ionone ring with a keto group [β-ionone ring-4-ketolase (β-C4-ketolase); carotenoid 4,4′-β-oxygenase] or an enzyme that introduces a hydroxyl group at the position 3 carbon of a β-ionone ring [β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase (β-C3-hydroxylase); carotenoid 3,3′-β-hydroxylase] and expresses such genes.

Means for Solving the Problem

The present inventors have focused on the fact that though a marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (MBIC 03018) is capable of producing astaxanthin and metabolites thereof, properties of its carotenoid biosynthesis enzyme have not been revealed yet. The present inventors have conducted intensive studies and, as a result, have found that an oxygenase cloned from the marine bacterium and being capable of replacing a methylene group at the position 4 of a β-ionone ring with a keto group [CrtW: β-ionone ring-4-ketolase (β-C4-ketolase); carotenoid 4,4′-β-oxygenase] can efficiently synthesize astaxanthin from adonixanthin. In addition, the present inventors have found that a hydroxylase cloned from the marine bacterium and being capable introducing a hydroxyl group at the position 3 carbon of a β-ionone ring [CrtZ: β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase (β-C3-hydroxylase); carotenoid 3,3′-β-hydroxylase] synthesizes astaxanthin more efficiently than the same enzyme (CrtZ) derived from other bacteria.

First, a cosmid library was prepared in E. coli using the chromosomal DNA of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212. Subsequently, PCR primers were designed based on the finding that phytoene desaturase (crtI) genes had two conserved domains among carotenoid-producing bacteria. Using the resultant primers, PCR was performed with the chromosomal DNA of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 as a template. As a result, a 1.1-kb DNA fragment was amplified. The nucleotide sequence of this fragment was determined and found to be a partial sequence of crtI. Colony hybridization of strain SD-212 cosmid library was performed with the crtI partial sequence fragment as a probe. Several positive colonies were obtained. Plasmid DNA was prepared from the positive colonies and subjected to Southern hybridization, to thereby obtain a positive 12-kb EcoRI DNA fragment. The nucleotide sequence of this 12-kb EcoRI fragment was determined, and thereby it has been confirmed that a carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster [seven open reading frames (ORFs) having homology to existing crt genes (6 genes) including crtW and crtZ, and idi gene (one gene)] is present within this fragment. Then, for forced expression of the crtW gene derived from the strain in E. coli by the fusion protein method using the lac promoter in E. coli vector pUC18 and a LacZ leader sequence, constructs were prepared. Similarly, constructs of two crtW genes derived from Paracoccus sp. were prepared as controls. Then, using an Erwinia-derived crt gene cluster (crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, and crtZ), functional analysis of various types of CrtWs was performed in host E. coli cells producing zeaxanthin. The results revealed that CrtW derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 can efficiently convert adonixanthin into astaxanthin and thereby can efficiently synthesize astaxanthin. In addition, for forced expression of the crtZ gene derived from the strain in E. coli by the fusion protein method using the 1ac promoter in E. coli vector pUC18 and a LacZ leader sequence, constructs were prepared. Similarly, constructs of two crtZ genes derived from Paracoccus sp. were prepared as controls. Further, constructs of crtZs derived from Erwinia sp. and Flavobacterium sp. strain P99-3 were similarly prepared. However, in a case of the latter ctrZ of the strain P99-3, pUC8 was used instead of pUC18. Then, using an Erwinia-derived crt gene cluster (crtE, crtB, crtI, and crtY) and a Paracoccus-derived crtW gene, functional analysis of various types of CrtZs was performed in host E. coli cells producing canthaxanthin. The results revealed that when the CrtZ derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 was used, the amount of produced astaxanthin was the highest, namely, this CrtZ can most efficiently synthesize astaxanthin. Thus, the present invention has been accomplished.

The present invention provides the following (1) to (12):

(1) A microorganism or a plant transformed with a ionone ring-4-ketolase gene encoding (a) a peptide including an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2; (b) a peptide including an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 by addition, deletion, or substitution of one or more amino acids and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity; or (c) a bacterium-derived peptide encoded by DNA including a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 or DNA that hybridizes to DNA complementary to the DNA including the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 under stringent conditions and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity, wherein the microorganism or the plant is capable of synthesizing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof;

(2) The microorganism or the plant according to the above (1), wherein the microorganism or the plant is transformed by introducing a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene with other carotenoid biosynthesis genes thereinto;

(3) The microorganism or the plant according to the above (2), wherein the other carotenoid biosynthesis genes may be all or a part of a gene cluster required for synthesizing a carotenoid containing a β-ionone ring that is hydroxylated at the position 3, from farnesyl pyrophosphate;

(4) The microorganism according to any one of the above (1) to (3), wherein the microorganism is Escherichia coli;

(5) A method for preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof, the method including the steps of culturing the microorganism according to any one of the above (1) to (4) in a medium and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from the culture or cells;

(6) A method for preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof, the method including the steps of cultivating the plant according to any one of the above (1) to (3) and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from the plant;

(7) A microorganism or a plant transformed with a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene encoding (d) a peptide including an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10; (e) a peptide including an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 by addition, deletion, or substitution of one or more amino acids and having a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity; or (f) a bacterium-derived peptide encoded by DNA including a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 or DNA that hybridizes to DNA complementary to the DNA including the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 under stringent conditions and having a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity, wherein the microorganism or the plant is capable of synthesizing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof;

(8) The microorganism or the plant according to the above (7), wherein the microorganism or the plant is transformed by introducing a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase gene with other carotenoid biosynthesis genes thereinto;

(9) The microorganism or the plant according to the above (8), wherein the other carotenoid biosynthesis genes may be all or a part of a gene cluster required for synthesizing a carotenoid having a β-ionone ring that contains a keto group at the position 4, from farnesyl pyrophosphate;

(10) The microorganism according to any one of the above (7) to (9), wherein the microorganism is Escherichia coli;

(11) A method for preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof, the method including the steps of culturing the microorganism according to any one of the above (7) to (10) in a medium and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from the culture or cells; and

(12) A method for preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof, the method including the steps of cultivating the plant according to any one of the above (7) to (9) and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from the plant.

The present invention will now be described in detail.

1. Marine Bacterium Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212 (MBIC 03018) as a Gene Source

The marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (SD212; MBIC 03018) is a source of genes of interest and is α-proteobacterium isolated from the seawater around Volcano Islands. The GC content is 67.1 (mol) %. Yokoyama et al. of Marine Biotechnology Institute Co., Ltd. have reported that carotenoids produced by this marine bacterium include astaxanthin, 2-hydroxyastaxanthin, and 2-hydroxyadanixanthin (see Yokoyama, A., Miki, W., Izumida, H., and Shizuri, Y., New trihydroxy-keto-carotenoids isolated from an astaxanthin-producing marine bacterium. Biosci. Biotech. Bioche. 60, 200-203, 1996). This bacterium is available from Marine Biotechnology Institute Co., Ltd. under No. MBIC 03018. The 16S rDNA sequence and gyrB gene sequence of this bacterium are registered at GenBank/DDBJ under Accession Nos. AB016849 and AB014993, respectively.

2. Gene Encoding β-Ionone Ring-4-Ketolase

In the present invention, a gene encoding the following peptides (a), (b), or (c) (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “crtW gene of the present invention”) is used:

(a) a peptide including an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2;

(b) a peptide including an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 by addition, deletion, or substitution of one or more amino acids and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity; and

(c) a bacterium-derived peptide encoded by DNA including a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 or DNA that hybridizes to DNA complementary to the DNA including the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1 under stringent conditions and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity.

The peptide (a) is a Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212-derived peptide (sometimes referred to as CrtW) having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity and consisting of a 244-amino-acid sequence.

The peptide (b) is a peptide derived from the peptide (a) by mutation within a range not to cause the elimination of the efficient β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity. The mutation includes artificial mutations as well as spontaneous mutations. The artificial mutations may be introduced by a site-specific mutagenesis method (Nucleic Acids Res. 10, 6487-6500, 1982), but the method is not limited to this. The number of mutated amino acids is not particularly limited as long as the β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity is retained. Usually, the number of mutated amino acids is within 20, preferably within 10, and more preferably within 5.

The peptide (c) is a bacterium-derived peptide obtained by DNA hybridization and has a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity. The “stringent conditions” in the definition of the peptide (c) are conditions allowing specific hybridization but not allowing non-specific hybridization. Generally, such conditions are about “0.5×SSC, 0.1% SDS, 42° C.”, and preferably about “0.2×SSC, 0.1% SDS, 65° C.”. The DNA obtained by the hybridization generally has a high homology to the DNA represented by the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 1. The term “high homology” refers to a 75% or more homology, and preferably a 90% or more homology.

The crtW gene of the present invention may be obtained, for example, as described below. First, a cosmid library of the marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 is prepared in E. coli. Then, the gene of the present invention can be obtained by a colony hybridization method using a homologous sequence of a carotenoid biosynthesis gene as described in Example 6 or a PCR cloning method.

3. Gene Encoding β-Ionone Ring-3-Hydroxylase

In the present invention, a gene encoding the following peptides (d), (e), or (f) (hereinafter, sometimes referred to as “crtZ gene of the present invention”) is used:

(d) a peptide including an amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10;

(e) a peptide including an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 10 by addition, deletion, or substitution of one or more amino acids and having a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity; and

(f) a bacterium-derived peptide encoded by DNA including a nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 or DNA that hybridizes to DNA complementary to the DNA including the nucleotide sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 9 under stringent conditions and having a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity.

The peptide (d) is a Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212-derived peptide (sometimes referred to as CrtZ) having a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity and consisting of a 161-amino-acid sequence.

The peptide (e) is a peptide derived from the peptide (d) by mutation within a range not to cause the elimination of the efficient β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity. The “mutation” is the same as in the above-described crtW gene of the present invention.

The peptide (f) is a bacterium-derived peptide obtained by DNA hybridization and has a β-ionone ring-3-hydroxylase activity. The “stringent conditions” in the definition of the peptide (f) are the same as in the above-described crtW gene of the present invention.

The crtZ gene of the present invention may be obtained, for example, as described below. First, a cosmid library of the marine bacterium Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 is prepared in E. coli. Then, the gene of the present invention can be obtained by a colony hybridization method using a homologous sequence of a carotenoid biosynthesis gene as described in Example 6 or a PCR cloning method.

The crtW gene and the crtZ gene according to the present invention are contained in a 12-kb EcoRI DNA fragment containing a carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212. Escherichia coli carrying a plasmid p5Bre2-15 obtained by inserting the DNA fragment into E. coli vector pBluescript II KS—has been deposited at the International Patent Organism Depository, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology under the Accession No. P-19580.

4. Microorganism or Plant Producing Astaxanthin or Metabolites Thereof

The present invention includes a microorganism or a plant transformed with the crtW gene described in the above 2, and a microorganism or a plant transformed with the crtZ gene described in the above 3. The microorganism or the plant is often transformed so as to carry not only the gene of the invention but also another carotenoid biosynthesis gene, but when the microorganism or the organ to be expressed in the plant inherently produces a carotenoid serving as a substrate, the another carotenoid biosynthesis gene may not be introduced or may be partially introduced.

Examples of host microorganisms include, but not limited to, E. coli. Examples of host plants include, but not limited to, rapeseed.

In general, the another carotenoid biosynthesis gene may be all or a part of a gene cluster required for synthesizing β-carotene from farnesyl pyrophosphate (FPP). Examples of such a gene cluster include a crtE gene encoding an enzyme that synthesizes geranylgeranyl pyrophosphate (GGPP) from FPP, a crtB gene encoding an enzyme that synthesizes phytoene from two molecules of GGPP, a crtI gene encoding an enzyme that synthesizes lycopene from phytoene, and a crtY gene (usually, derived from Erwinia bacteria) encoding an enzyme that synthesizes β-carotene from lycopene. In order to synthesize astaxanthin from β-carotene, it is preferable to use both the crtW gene and the crtZ gene according to the present invention. However, only either one of them may be used. When the crtW gene according to the present invention is used alone, it is necessary to use a crtZ gene derived from another organism (usually, Erwinia sp. or Paracoccus sp.) or an equivalent gene thereof for introducing a hydroxyl group at the position 3 (3′) of β-carotene. When the crtZ gene according to the present invention is used alone, it is necessary to use a crtW gene derived from another organism (usually, Paracoccus sp.) or an equivalent gene thereof for introducing a keto group at the position 4 (4′) of β-carotene.

When all or a part of the other carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster is inserted into an appropriate expression vector and then introduced into a host microorganism employed for expression, the recombinant microorganism begins to produce a β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (β-carotene or its metabolite), a 3-hydroxy-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (zeaxanthin or its metabolite), or a 4-keto-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (canthaxanthin or its metabolite). (Every microorganism is capable of producing the substrate FPP. Although some microorganisms produce only a small amount of GGPP, every microorganism is capable of producing GGPP.)

With respect to a plant, when a part of the above-mentioned gene cluster is inserted into an appropriate vector for plant transformation by using a promoter (for example, a napin promoter for expression in seeds) to be expressed in an organ employed for expression and a transit peptide (for example, Rubisco small subunit transit peptide) directing a plastid such as a chloroplast and then introduced into a plant, the recombinant plant begins to produce a β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (β-carotene or its metabolite), a 3-hydroxy-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (zeaxanthin or its metabolite), or a 4-keto-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (canthaxanthin or its metabolite). In general, many plant organs that produce plant carotenoids, for example, rapeseed seeds, have most of genes necessary for producing β-ionone ring-containing carotenoids. However, by the introduction and expression of the crtB gene, the amount of carotenoids production is possibly increased. (Shewmaker, C. K. et al., Seed-specific overexpression of phytoene synthase: increase in carotenoids and other metabolic effects. Plant J. 20, 401-412, 1999).

When the crtW gene and/or the crtZ gene (when the host is a plant, the above-mentioned transit peptide sequence is necessarily linked to the N-terminal sequence) according to the present invention is further introduced to and expressed in the thus prepared recombinant microorganism or plant producing a β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (β-carotene or its metabolite), a 3-hydroxy-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (zeaxanthin or its metabolite), or a 4-keto-β-ionone ring-containing carotenoid (canthaxanthin or its metabolite), the microorganism or the plant begins to produce astaxanthin that is a carotenoid in which a methylene group at the position 4 (4′) of β-carotene is replaced with a keto group and a hydroxyl group is introduced at the position 3 (3′) carbon of β-carotene, in which a methylene group at the position 4 (4′) of zeaxanthin is replaced with a keto group, or in which a hydroxyl group is introduced at the position 3 (3′) carbon of canthaxanthin, or produce astaxanthin metabolites (for example, 2-hydroxyastaxanthin and esters of astaxanthin) converted by an astaxanthin-metabolizing endogenous enzyme.

Information about vectors of various microorganisms such as E. coli and yeast, and methods of introduction and expression of exogenous genes are disclosed in a large number of experimental manuals (for example, Sambrook, J., Russel, D. W., Molecular Cloning, A Laboratory Manual, 3^(rd) Edition, CSHL Press, 2001). Selection of vectors and introduction and expression of genes may be performed according to these manuals.

Information about vectors for plant transformation and methods of introduction and expression of exogenous genes are disclosed in a large number of experimental manuals (for example, Ishida, I., Misawa, N., Saibo Kogaku Jikken Sosa Nyumon (The handbook for the cell engineering experimental manipulation), Kodansha Scientific, 1992). Selection of vectors and introduction and expression of genes may be performed according to these manuals.

4. Method of Preparing Astaxanthin or Metabolites Thereof

The present invention provides a method of efficiently preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof by culturing the above-described microorganism in a medium and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from the culture or cells. In addition, the present invention also provides a method of efficiently preparing astaxanthin or metabolites thereof by cultivating the above-described plant and obtaining astaxanthin or metabolites thereof from an organ, such as a seed, of the plant.

Examples of the astaxanthin metabolites include, but not limited to, 2-hydroxyastaxanthin and esters of astaxanthin. Furthermore, there are cases that astaxanthin metabolites are not produced.

The SEQ ID NOS in the SEQUENCE LISTING of the present specification represent the following sequences:

SEQ ID NO: 1: nucleotide sequence of the crtW gene of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 and amino acid sequence encoded thereby;

SEQ ID NO: 2: amino acid sequence encoded by the crtW gene of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 3: primer (forward) for amplification of crtW derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 4: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtW derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 5: primer (forward) for amplification of crtW derived from Paracoccus sp. strain PC1;

SEQ ID NO: 6: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtW derived from Paracoccus sp. strain PC1;

SEQ ID NO: 7: primer (forward) for amplification of crtW derived from Paracoccus sp. strain N81106;

SEQ ID NO: 8: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtW derived from Paracoccus sp. strain N81106;

SEQ ID NO: 9: nucleotide sequence of the crtZ gene of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 and amino acid sequence encoded thereby;

SEQ ID NO: 10: amino acid sequence encoded by the crtZ gene of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 11: primer (forward) for amplification of crtZ derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 12: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtZ derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212;

SEQ ID NO: 13: primer (forward) for amplification of crtZ derived from Erwinia uredovora;

SEQ ID NO: 14: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtZ derived from Erwinia uredovora;

SEQ ID NO: 15: primer (forward) for amplification of crtZ derived from Paracoccus sp. strain PC1;

SEQ ID NO: 16: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtZ derived from Paracoccus sp. strain PC1;

SEQ ID NO: 17: primer (forward) for amplification of crtZ derived from Paracoccus sp. strain N81106;

SEQ ID NO: 18: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtZ derived from Paracoccus sp. strain N81106;

SEQ ID NO: 19: primer (forward) for amplification of crtZ derived from Flavobacterium sp. Strain P99-3; and

SEQ ID NO: 20: primer (reverse) for amplification of crtZ derived from Flavobacterium sp. Strain P99-3.

Advantageous Effect of the Invention

According to the present invention, a large amount of astaxanthin or metabolites thereof can be prepared by utilizing the crtW gene and/or crtZ gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a diagram showing astaxanthin biosynthesis pathways and functions of various Crt enzymes in astaxanthin-producing E. coli.

FIG. 2 is a diagram showing the structure of a carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster of Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212.

FIG. 3 is graphs showing the results of HPLC-PDA analysis of pigments accumulated in various recombinant E. coli cells (cultured for 48 hr after the addition of IPTG). (In the graphs, peaks indicated by reference numeral 1 are for astaxanthin, peaks indicated by reference numeral 2 are for adonixanthin, peaks indicated by reference numeral 3 are for adonirubin, a peak indicated by reference numeral 4 is for zeaxanthin, peaks indicated by reference numeral 5 are for 3′-hydroxyechinenone, peaks indicated by reference numeral 6 are for 3-hydroxyechinenone, and peaks indicated by reference numeral 7 are for lycopene.) a) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109Ercrt-zea, b) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109BreW-asta, c) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and d) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109ParaN8W-asta.

FIG. 4 is a graph showing the relationship between incubation times and the amounts of astaxanthin accumulated in various recombinant E. coli cells.

FIG. 5 is graphs showing the results of HPLC-PDA analysis of pigments accumulated in various recombinant E. coli cells (cultured for 6 hr after the addition of IPTG). a) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109BreW-asta, b) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and c) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109ParaN8W-asta.

FIG. 6 is graphs showing the results of HPLC-PDA analysis of pigments accumulated in various recombinant E. coli cells (cultured for 48 hr after the addition of IPTG). (In the graphs, peaks indicated by reference numeral 1 are for astaxanthin, peaks indicated by reference numeral 2 are for adonixanthin, a peaks indicated by reference numeral 3 is for adonirubin, and peaks indicated by reference numeral 4 are for canthaxanthin.) a) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109Pancrt-Cantha, b) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109BreZ-asta, c) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109PanZ-asta, d) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109ParaPC1Z-asta, e) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM209ParaN8Z-asta, and f) HPLC chromatogram (470 nm) of pigments produced by JM109P99Z-asta.

FIG. 7 is a graph showing the relationship between incubation times and the amounts of astaxanthin accumulated in various recombinant E. coli cells.

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION

The present invention will now be specifically described with reference to Examples. However, the present invention is not limited to these Examples.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Strains, Plasmids, and Growth Conditions

The strains and plasmids used in the present invention (crtW) are shown in Table 1. The strains were cultured at 37° C. or 30° C. in an LB (Luria-Bertani) medium. When necessary, ampicillin (Ap, 100 μg/ml) or chloramphenicol (Cm, 30 μg/ml) was added to the medium.

TABLE 1 Strains and Plasmids Used in the Present Invention Strain/Plasmid Nature* Reference/Manufacturer Strain E. coli JM109 Host for genetic engineering experiments Takara JM109Ercrt-zea E. coli strain JM109 with pACCAR25ΔcrtX introduced thereinto Present invention JM109BreW-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pACCAR25ΔcrtX and pUCBreW introduced Present invention thereinto JM109ParaPC1W-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pACCAR25ΔcrtX and pUCParaPC1W Present invention introduced thereinto JM109ParaN8W-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pACCAR25ΔcrtX and pUCParaN8W Present invention introduced thereinto Plasmid pACCAR25ΔcrtX Cm^(r): plasmid including crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, and crtZ Misawa, et al., 1995 pUC18 Ap^(r): cloning vector TOYOBO p5Bre2-15 Ap^(r): Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (MBIC03018)-derived 12-kb Present invention EcoRI fragment (containing a carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster) inserted into EcoRI site of pBluescript II KS− pPC17 Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1 (MBIC03024)-derived 1.63-kb DNA Misawa, et al., 1995 fragment inserted into PstI and PsEII sites of pBluescript II SK+ AK96K Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain N81106 (MBIC01143)-derived 1.88-kb Misawa, et al., 1995 DNA fragment inserted into BamHI and KpnI sites of pBluescript II SK− pUCBreW Ap^(r): Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (MBIC03018)-derived β- Present invention carotene ketolase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCParaPC1W Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1 (MBIC03024)-derived β-carotene Present invention ketolase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCParaN8W Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain N81106 (MBIC01143)-derived β-carotene Present invention ketolase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 *Ap^(r): ampicillin resistance, Cm^(r): chloramphenicol resistance

-   Misawa, N., Satomi, Y., Kondo, K., Yokoyama, A., Kajiwara, S.,     Saito, T., Ohtani, T., and Miki, W., Structure and functional     analysis of a marine bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster     and astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway proposed at the gene level. J.     Bacteriol. 177: 6575-6585 1995: Non-Patent Document 1.

Example 2 Genetic Engineering Experiments

Usual genetic engineering experiments such as preparation of plasmids, treatment with restriction enzymes, ligation reaction, and transformation were conducted according to the methods disclosed in Molecular Cloning, Sambrook et al. (1989). Sambrook, J., Fritsch, E. F., and Maniatis T., Molecular cloning: a laboratory manual. 2nd ed. 1989, Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Press, Cold Spring Harbor, N.Y.

Example 3 Preparation of Chromosomal DNA from Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212

Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (SD212; MBIC 03018) was cultured in 300 ml of a Marine Broth (MB) medium (Difco) at 25° C. for 3 days. Cells were harvested, washed with an STE buffer (100 mM NaCl, 10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, pH 8.0) twice, thermally treated at 68° C. for 15 min, and then suspended in a solution I (50 mM glucose, 25 mM Tris-HCl, 10 mM EDTA, pH 8.0) containing 5 mg/ml lysozyme (Sigma) and 100 μg/ml RNase A (Sigma). After 1 hr incubation at 37° C., Protenase K (Sigma) was added thereto to give a concentration of 250 μg/ml and the resulting mixture was incubated at 37° C. for 10 min. N-Lauroylsarcosin-Na was added thereto to give a final concentration of 1% and mixed gently and thoroughly by inverting. The mixture was incubated at 37° C. for 3 hr. After several times of phenol/chloroform extraction, while slowly adding two volumes of ethanol, chromosomal DNA deposited was wound around a glass rod and rinsed with 70% ethanol. Then, the chromosomal DNA was dissolved in 2 ml of a TE buffer (10 mM Tris-HCl, 1 mM EDTA, pH 8.0) to prepare a chromosomal DNA solution.

Example 4 Amplification of Partial Fragment of Phytoene Desaturase Gene (crtI) by PCR

A partial fragment of a phytoene desaturase gene (crtI) was amplified by PCR using a crtI-Fo primer (5′-TTY GAY GCI GGI CCI ACI GT-3′) and a crtI-Re primer (5′-CCI GGR TGI GTI CCI GCI CC-3′) and the chromosomal DNA obtained as described above from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 as a template. The primers had been designed utilizing the homology of phytoene desaturase genes (crtI) among carotenoid-producing bacteria. As a thermostable DNA polymerase, La-Taq (TaKaRa) was used. After thermal denaturation at 96° C. for 5 min, 35 cycles of amplification at 98° C. for 20 sec, 58° C. for 30 sec, and 72° C. for 1 min were carried out. The amplified product was confirmed by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. Then, a 1.1-kb DNA fragment was cut out from the agarose gel and purified (with Qiagen Gel Extraction kit: QIAGEN, or Gene Clean II Kit: BIO101). The purified DNA fragment was ligated to pGEM-T Easy and transformed into E. coli (DH5α). This plasmid was designated pCRTI-SD212. The E. coli was cultured in 2 ml of an LB liquid medium containing ampicillin at 37° C. overnight, and then the plasmid was extracted. The nucleotide sequence (partial) of the extracted plasmid was determined using a Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit ver.2 (Perkin-Elmer) and a model 3700 DNA sequencer (Perkin-Elmer) according to the attached protocol. The thus determined DNA sequence was subjected to homology search using Blast (Altschul and Lipman, 1990) to confirm that this DNA sequence is a DNA fragment having a homology to the phytoene desaturase gene (crtI). The DNA fragment purified after the PCR was used as a probe in the colony hybridization and Southern hybridization conducted in Examples 6 and 7.

Altschul, S. F. and Lipman, D. J., Protein database search for multiple alignments. Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 87, 5509-5513, 1990.

Example 5 Construction of Cosmid Library

Experimental procedures for obtaining phage particles from a chromosomal DNA solution prepared from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 were carried out according to the instructions attached to SuperCos 1 Cosmid Vector Kit available from Stratagene. Briefly, the chromosomal DNA from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 was partially digested with Sau3AI and ligated to the BamHI site of a cosmid vector, and was packaged into phage particles using LAMBDA INN (Nippon Gene). Subsequently, Escherichia coli strain XL1-Blue MR was infected with the resulting phage particles to obtain about 1000 Ap-resistant colonies on LB plates containing Ap. The resulting colonies were transferred onto fresh LB plates containing an antibiotic with sterilized toothpicks. This cosmid vector SuperCos 1 is a 7.9-kb vector and can carry a DNA fragment of 30 to 45 kb.

Example 6 Colony Hybridization

The colonies (500) from the cosmid library constructed using E. coli XL1-Blue MR as the host in Example 5 were screened for clones containing a crtI by colony hybridization using the partial fragment of phytoene desaturase gene (crtI) amplified by the PCR method in Example 4 as a probe. First, the E. coli was seeded on plates and cultured at 37° C. At this time, the E. coli was seeded at 48 colonies per plate. After overnight culture, a Hybond-N+ membrane (Amersham Pharmacia) having a diameter of 82 mm was placed on each plate and the membrane was marked with an injection needle. The membrane was peeled off and placed (sample side up) on a 3 mm filter paper (Whattman) impregnated with a 10% SDS solution for incubation for 5 min. Then, the DNA on the membrane was incubated for another 5 min on a 3 mm filter paper impregnated with a denaturing solution (1.5 M NaCl, 0.5 M NaOH). Then, the membrane was soaked in a neutralizing solution (1.5 M NaCl, 0.5M Tris-HCl) for 5 min (twice). Further, the membrane was washed with 2×SSC twice. At this time, the membrane was wiped off strongly with Kimtowel so that no cell debris remained on the membrane. After these treatments, the membrane was air-dried on Kimtowel and Kimwipe for 30 min and baked at 80° C. for 2 hr to thereby immobilize DNA on the membrane. A DNA probe was prepared using Alkphos Direct Labeling and Detection System (Amersham Pharmacia) and colony hybridization was conducted according to the attached protocol. As a result, 6 positive clones were obtained from the 500 colonies by the colony hybridization using the partial fragment of phytoene desaturase gene (crtI) as a probe. The plasmids contained in these 6 clones were designated pCos5-1, pCos5-2, pCos7-1, pCos8-1, pCos9-1, and pCos10-1.

Example 7 Southern Hybridization

The 6 positive clones selected in Example 6 were cultured in 2 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap at 37° C. overnight, and then plasmid DNA was extracted. The extracted plasmid DNA was completely digested with EcoRI and then subjected to electrophoresis. Then, the DNA was transferred onto a nylon membrane (Hybond N+) by capillary blotting using a 0.4 M NaOH solution. After this treatment, the membrane was baked at 80° C. for 2 hr to thereby immobilize the DNA on the membrane. Then, Southern hybridization was performed using Alkphos Direct Labeling and Detection System (Amersham Pharmacia) according to the attached protocol. The above-described partial fragment of phytoene desaturase gene (crtI) was used as the probe. As a result, positive signals were observed in the 12-kb EcoRI fragment of 3 clones, pCos5-2, pCos7-1, and pCos9-1, out of the 6 positive clones.

Example 8 Analysis of a Carotenoid Gene Cluster

The 12-kb insert fragment was cut out from one (pCos5-2) of the positive clones selected in Example 7 with EcoRI, ligated to the EcoRI site of a plasmid vector pBluescript II KS—, and transformed into E. coli strain DH5a. This plasmid was designated p5Bre2-15. The resultant E. coli was cultured in 2 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap at 37° C. overnight, and then the plasmid was extracted. The nucleotide sequence of the extracted plasmid was determined using a Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit ver.2 (Perkin-Elmer) and a model 3700 DNA sequencer (Perkin-Elmer) according to the attached protocol. Gene-coding regions of the thus determined 11991-bp DNA sequence were estimated using GeneMark.hmm (Lukashin A. and Borodovsky M.) and SD-like sequences were confirmed. As a result, 12 open reading frames (ORFs) were found in the 12-kb fragment (FIG. 2). Each ORF was subjected to homology search at the amino acid sequence level using Blast. Seven ORFs out of twelve ORFs showed homology to existing carotenoid biosynthesis genes (crtW, crtY, crtI, crtB, crtE, crtZ, and idi) (Table 2), and were designated crtW, crtY, crtI, crtB, crtE, crtZ, and idi genes, respectively. The remaining 5 genes were unknown genes having no overall homology to any existing genes.

Escherichia coli carrying the plasmid p5Bre2-15 has been deposited at the International Patent Organism Depository, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology under the Accession No. P-19580.

TABLE 2 Characteristics and Predicted Functions of the Various ORFs Present in the Carotenoid Biosynthesis Gene Cluster of Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212 No. of Amino Designation Acid GeneBank of ORF GC % Residues Predicted Function Homology to Gene Product of Other Organism (%) number ORF1 69.7 140 Unknown crtW 69.6 244 β-carotene C4 oxygenase CrtW: Brevundimonas aurantiaca (96) AAN86030 crtY 70.2 392 Lycopene cyclase CrtY: Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2 (53) AF408848 crtI 67.5 489 Phytoene desaturase CrtI: Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2 (72) AF408848 crtB 72 310 Phytoene synthase CrtB: Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2 (54) AF408848 ORF6 75.8 355 Unknown ORF7 74.6 315 Unknown crtE 71 298 GGPP synthase CrtE: Xanthobacter autotrophicus Py2 (42) AF408847 idi 74.9 350 Type II IPP isomerase IPP isomerase: Pantoea agglomerans Eho10 (55) Q01335 crtZ 66.9 161 β-carotene C3 hydroxylase CrtZ: Alcaligenes sp. PC1 (49) Q44262 ORF11 70.7 257 Unknown ORF12 66.7 122 Unknown CrtW, Brevundimonas aurantiaca (GeneBank No. AAN86030); CrtY, CrtI, CrtB, CrtE, Xanthobacter sp. Py2 (GeneBank No. AF408848, AF408847); IPP isomerase, Pantoea agglomerans Eho10 (Erwinia herbicola) (GeneBank No. Q01335); CrtZ, Alcaligenes sp. PC1 (GeneBank No. Q44262)

-   Lukashin A. and Borodovsky M., GeneMark.hmm: new solutions for gene     finding, NAR, Vol. 26, No. 4, pp. 1107-1115, 1998. Misawa, N.,     Nakagawa, M., Kobayashi, K., Yamano, S., Izawa, Y., Nakamura, K. and     Harashima, K., Elucidation of the Erwinia uredovora carotenoid     biosynthetic pathway by functional analysis of gene products     expressed in Escherichia coli, J. Bacteriol. 172, 6704-6712, 1990. -   Misawa, N., Satomi, Y., Kondo, K., Yokoyama, A., Kajiwara, S.,     Saito, T., Ohtani, T., and Miki, W., Structure and functional     analysis of a marine bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster     and astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway proposed at the gene level, J.     Bacteriol. 177, 6575-6585, 1995 (Non-Patent Document 1). -   Hannibal, L., Lorquin, J., D'Ortoli, N. A., Garcia, N., Chaintreuil,     C., Masson-Boivin, C., Dreyfus, B. and Giraud, E., Isolation and     characterization of canthaxanthin biosynthesis genes from the     photosynthetic bacterium Bradyrhizobium sp. strain ORS278, J.     Bacteriol. 182, 3850-3853, 2000. -   Larsen, R. A., Wilson, M. M., Guss, A. M. and Metcalf, W. W.,     Genetic analysis of pigment biosynthesis in Xanthobacter     autotrophicus Py2 using a new, highly efficient transposon     mutagenesis system that is functional in a wide variety of bacteria,     Arch. Microbiol. 178, 193-201, 2002.

The enzyme CrtW encoded by the crtW gene of Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212 is a peptide consisting of 244 amino acids. The amino acid sequence is shown in SEQ ID NO: 2, and the nucleotide sequence of the crtW gene and the deduced amino acid sequence are shown in SEQ ID NO: 1. The CrtW from Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212 has a homology (identity) of only 46% to both the CrtW of Paracoccus sp. Strain N81106 (DDBJ/Genbank accession No. D58420) and the CrtW of Paracoccus sp. Strain PC-1 (DDBJ/Genbank accession No. D58422) at the amino acid sequence level. As shown in Table 2, the CrtW from Brevundimonas sp. Strain SD-212 has a homology (identity) of 96% to the CrtW from Brevundimonas aurantiaca, but the CrtW of Brevundimonas aurantiaca about which nothing is known other than the sequence that is merely disclosed on the net. Thus, functions and characteristics of this enzyme are not known at all.

Example 9 Construction of β-Galactosidase Fusion Protein Expression Plasmids

The individual crtW genes were amplified by PCR and the individual plasmids for expressing each β-galactosidase fusion protein were constructed so as to synthesize each crtW gene product fused to a lead sequence of β-galactosidase gene (lacZ) by an E. coli vector pUC18 (TOYOBO). Specifically, required DNA fragments were amplified by PCR using p5Bre2-15, pPC17, or pAK96K as a DNA template and primers (shown in SEQ ID NOS: 3 to 8) designed so that each amplified crtW product having an EcoRI site at the 5′-end and a BamHI site at the 3′-end could be obtained. The pPC17 and pAK96K are plasmids containing the crtW genes derived from Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1 and Paracoccus sp. N81106, respectively.

PfuTurbo Hotstart DNA Polymerase (Stratagene) was used as a thermostable DNA polymerase. After thermal denaturation at 95° C. for 20 sec, 30 cycles of amplification at 95° C. for 20 sec, 51° C. for 30 sec, and 72° C. for 1 min and 30 sec were carried out. A part of the amplified product was confirmed by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The remaining amplified product was precipitated with ethanol, digested with EcoRI and BamHI, and then was subjected to 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. Then, the DNA fragment with an expected length was cut out from the agarose gel and purified (using a Gene Clean Turbo Kit: Q-BIOgene). The purified DNA was ligated to the EcoRI and BamHI sites of pUC18 and transformed into E. coli JM109. The lead sequence in these β-galactosidase fusion protein expression plasmids, with the seven amino acid residues Met-Thr-Met-Ile-Thr-Asn-Ser, was designed to be added to the Met of the original start of the individual crtW.

Example 10 Construction of Zeaxanthin- or Astaxanthin-Producing E. Coli

The E. coli clones carrying the plasmid containing the individual crtW genes were each cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap at 37° C. overnight, and then the plasmid was extracted. The nucleotide sequence of the extracted plasmid was confirmed using a Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit ver.2 (Perkin-Elmer) and a model 3700 DNA sequencer (Perkin-Elmer) according to the attached protocol. The individual plasmids which were confirmed to contain the correct nucleotide sequence of crtW gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212, Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1, or Paracoccus sp. strain N81106 were designated pUCBreW (lacZ::crtW), pUCParaPC1W (lacZ::crtW), and pUCParaN8W (lacZ::crtW), respectively. Zeaxanthin-producing E. coli was constructed by introducing a plasmid pACCAR25ΔcrtX into E. coli JM109 and selecting Cm-resistant colonies. Further, astaxanthin-producing E. coli was constructed by introducing a plasmid pACCAR25ΔcrtX with pUCBreW, pUCParaPC1W, or pUCParaN8W into E. coli and selecting Ap- and Cm-resistant colonies. The E. coli clones were designated JM109Ercrt-zea, JM109BreW-asta, JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and JM109ParaN8W-asta.

Example 11 Analysis of Astaxanthin-Producing Efficiency in E. Coli Expressing Individual crtW Genes

JM109Ercrt-zea was cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Cm and JM109BreW-asta, JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and JM109ParaN8W-asta were each cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap and Cm, at 37° C. overnight. Fifty microliters of each of the LB liquid media were inoculated into 4 ml of an LB liquid medium and subjected to main culture at 30° C. When A₆₀₀ became about 0.5, 0.5 mM of IPTG (isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside) was added to the culture medium, followed by further culturing at 30° C. The cells were harvested by centrifugating the culture medium and washed with STE twice. Acetone (400 μl ) was added thereto and vortexed to thereby transfer pigments from cells to acetone. The resulting mixture was centrifuged. The supernatant was filtered and subjected to pigment analysis with an HPLC-PDA system (Waters Alliance 2695 and 2996 photodiode array detector) or an HPLC-PDA-MS system (Shiseido Nano Space SI-2 and ThermoQuest LCQ advantage). In the HPLC-PDA, a TSK gel ODS-80Ts column (TOSOH) was used. The mobile phases were solution A (95% methanol) and solution B [methanol : tetrahydrofuran (THF)=7:3]. The elution program with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min was as follows: 100% of the solution A for 5 min, a linear gradient from 100% of the solution A to 100% of the solution B for 5 to 10 min, and the solution B for 8 min. Pigments were detected with a photodiode array detector and analyzed with an accessory software Empower. In the HPLC-PDA-MS, a Deverosil C30-UG-3 (1.0 mm i.d.×150 mm) column (Nomura Chemical) was used, and Devorosil C30-UG-S was used as a pre-column. The mobile phases were solution A (95% methanol) and solution B [methanol : tert-butylmethylether (tBME)=3:7]. The elution program with a flow rate of 0.09 ml/min was as follows: 100% of the solution A for 15 min, a linear gradient from 100% of the solution A to 100% of the solution B for 15 to 115 min, and the solution B for 20 min.

Analysis of pigments produced by the various E. coli clones was conducted 48 hr after the addition of IPTG using an HPLC-PDA system and HPLC-PDA-MS system (see FIG. 3). The results shows that almost all of pigments produced by JM109Ercrt-zea were zeaxanthin (HPLC/PDA: RT 8.5 min, λmax 450, 479 nm; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 25.55 min, λmax 450, 476 nm, m/z 569.2 [M+H]⁺) (see FIG. 3 a). In JM109BreW-asta, in addition to a peak of the main pigment, astaxanthin, (HPLC/PDA: RT 5.8 min, λmax 473 nm; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 13.28, λmax 476 nm, m/z 597.2 [M+H]³⁰), peaks of adonirubin (Poenicoxanthin) (HPLC/PDA: RT 8.1 min; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 20.92 min, λmax 469 nm, m/z 581.2 [M+H]⁺), 3′-hydroxyechinenone (HPLC/PDA: RT 11.5 min, λmax 473; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 62.10 min, λmax 469, m/z 567.2 [M+H]⁺), 3-hydroxyechinenone (HPLC/PDA: RT 11.7 min; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 62.72 min, m/z 567.2 [M+H]⁺), and lycopene (HPLC/PDA: RT 13.4 min, λmax 446, 473, 505 nm; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 90.27 min, λmax 444, 471, 501 nm, m/z 537.1) were observed (FIG. 3 b). In JM109ParaPC1W-asta and JM109ParaN8W-asta, in addition to peaks of the above-mentioned carotenoids, a peak of adonixanthin (HPLC/PDA: RT 7.6 min; HPLC/PDA/MS: RT 17.45 min, λmax 460, 482 nm, m/z 583.2 [M+H]⁺) was observed (FIGS. 3 c and d). The astaxanthin contents in the carotenoids accumulated in JM109BreW-asta, JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and JM109ParaN8W-asta were 75%, 65%, and 47%, respectively. Thus, the astaxanthin content in JM109BreW-asta was the highest (FIG. 3). Furthermore, 3′-hydroxyechinenone was apt to accumulate in every pigment extract from recombinant E. coli clones, JM109BreW-asta, JM109ParaPC1W-asta, and JM109ParaN8W-asta, and any difference in the amount was not observed among the recombinant E. coli clones. On the other hand, in the pigment extract of JM109BreW-asta, no peak of adonixanthin, which was observed in the pigment extracts of JM109ParaPC1W-asta and JM109ParaN8W-asta, was observed. Therefore, it is predicted that JM109BreW-asta has a high conversion efficiency of adonixanthin into astaxanthin and, as a result, has a high production efficiency of astaxanthin. Further, in order to confirm this, the relationship between incubation time and production efficiency of astaxanthin. Escherichia coli was collected 10, 17, and 24 hr after the addition of IPTG, and the amounts of accumulated pigments were analyzed (FIG. 4). The astaxanthin biosynthesis efficiency of JM109BreW-asta (symbol in the figure: ♦) was significantly high compared to those of JM109ParaPC1W-asta (symbol in the figure: ▪) and JM109ParaN8W-asta (symbol in the figure: ▴) by the stationary phase, and then the difference in the efficiency was gradually decreased in the death phase.

Further, the tendency in which adonixanthin was accumulated in JM109ParaPC1W-asta and JM109ParaN8W-asta but not in JM109BreW-asta was observed during all culture phases. In particular, in the pigment analysis 6 hr after the addition of IPTG, a large amount of adonixanthin (similar amount of astaxanthin) was accumulated in JM109ParaPC1W-asta and JM109ParaN8W-asta (FIGS. 5 b and c). However, in JM109BreW-asta, adonixanthin was not accumulated at all and the production amount of astaxanthin was increased instead (FIG. 5 a).

As a result of this study, it has been revealed that CrtW derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 has a high efficiency of converting adonixanthin into astaxanthin and most effectively produces astaxanthin. These results show that the crtW gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 is effective for mass-production for industrial use of astaxanthin and metabolites thereof (astaxanthin ester and the like) using a recombinant microorganism or recombinant plant.

Example 12 Strains, Plasmids, and Growth Conditions

The strains and plasmids used in the present invention (crtZ) are shown in Table 3. The strains were cultured at 37° C. or 30° C. in an LB (Luria-Bertani) medium. When necessary, ampicillin (Ap, 100 μg/ml) or chloramphenicol (Cm, 30 μg/ml) was added to the medium.

TABLE 3 Strains and Plasmids used in the Present invention Strain/Plasmid Nature* Reference/Manufacturer Strain E. coli JM109 Host for genetic engineering experiments Takara JM109Pancrt-Cantha E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha introduced thereinto Present invention JM109BreZ-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha and pUCBreZ introduced Present invention thereinto JM109PanZ-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha and pUCpanZ introduced Present invention thereinto JM109ParaPC1Z-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha and pUCParaPC1Z introduced Present invention thereinto JM109ParaN8Z-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha and pUCParaN8Z introduced Present invention thereinto JM109P99Z-asta E. coli strain JM109 with pAC-Cantha and pUCP99Z introduced Present invention thereinto Plasmid pAC-Cantha Cm^(r): plasmid including crtE, crtB, crtI, crtY, and crtW Nishida, et al., unpublished data pUC18 Ap^(r): cloning vector TOYOBO pUC8 Ap^(r): cloning vector TOYOBO p5Bre2-15 Ap^(r): Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (MBIC03018)-derived 12-kb Present invention DNA fragment inserted into EcoRI site of pBluescript II KS− pCAR25 Ap^(r): Pantoea ananatis sp. strain 20D3 (D90087)-derived 6.9-kb DNA Misawa, et al., 1990 fragment inserted into KpnI and HindIII sites of pUC19 pPC17 Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1 (MBIC03024)-derived 1.63-kb DNA Misawa, et al., 1995 fragment inserted into PstI and PstEII sites of pBluescript II SK+ AK96K Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain N81106 (MBIC01143)-derived 1.88-kb Misawa, et al., 1995 DNA fragment inserted into BamHI and KpnI sites of pBluescript II SK− pBS606 Ap^(r): Flavobacteria sp. strain P99-3 (AB106143)-derived 8.9-kb DNA Teramoto, et al., 2003 fragment inserted into BglIII and SalI sites of pBluescript II SK− pUCBreZ Ap^(r): Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 (MBIC03018)-derived β- Present invention carotene hydroxylase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCPanZ Ap^(r): Pantoea ananatis sp. strain 20D3 (D90087)-derived β-carotene Present invention hydroxylase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCParaPC1Z Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1 (MBIC03024)-derived β-carotene Present invention hydroxylase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCParaN8Z Ap^(r): Paracoccus sp. strain N81106 (MBIC01143)-derived β-carotene Present invention hydroxylase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC18 pUCP99Z Ap^(r): Flavobacteria sp. strain P99-3 (AB106143)-derived β-carotene Present invention hydroxylase amplified by PCR and inserted into pUC8 *Ap^(r): ampicillin resistance, Cm^(r): chloramphenicol resistance

-   Misawa, N., Nakagawa, M., Kobayashi, K., Yamano, S., Izawa, Y.,     Nakamura, K., and Harashima, K., Elucidation of the Erwinia     uredovora carotenoid biosynthetic pathway by functional analysis of     gene products expressed in Escherichia coli, J. Bacteriol. 172:     6704-6712, 1990. -   Misawa, N., Satomi, Y., Kondo, K., Yokoyama, A., Kajiwara, S.,     Saito, T., Ohtani, T., and Miki, W., Structure and functional     analysis of a marine bacterial carotenoid biosynthesis gene cluster     and astaxanthin biosynthetic pathway proposed at the gene level, J.     Bacteriol. 177: 6575-6585, 1995: Non-Patent Document 1. -   Teramoto, M., Takaichi, S., Inomata, Y., Ikenaga, H., and Misawa,     N., Structural and functional analysis of a lycopene β-monocyclase     gene isolated from a unique marine bacterium that produces myxol,     FEBS Lett. 545: 120-126, 2003.

Example 13 Construction of β-Galactosidase Fusion Protein Expression Plasmids

The individual crtZ genes were each amplified by PCR and the individual plasmids for expressing each β-galactosidase fusion protein were constructed so as to synthesize each crtZ gene product fused to a lead sequence of β-galactosidase gene (LacZ) by an E. coli vector pUC18 or pUC8 (TOYOBO). Specifically, required DNA fragments were amplified by PCR using plasmids p5Bre2-15, pCAR25, pPC17, pAK96K, and pBS606 as DNA templates and primers (shown in SEQ ID NOS: 11 to 20) designed in such a manner that each crtZ amplified product having an EcoRI site at the 5′-end and a BamHI site at the 3′-end (p5Bre2-15, pCAR25, pPC17, and pAK96K) or having an SmaI site at the 5′-end and a HindIII site at the 3′-end (pBS606) could be obtained. The pCAR25, pPC17, pAK96K, and pBS606 were plasmids containing crtZ genes derived from Pantoea ananatis strain 20D3 (former name: Erwinia uredovora), Paracoccus sp. strain PC-1, Paracoccus sp. strain N81106, and Flavobacterium sp. strain P99-3, respectively.

PfuTurbo Hotstart DNA Polymerase (Stratagene) was used as a thermostable DNA polymerase. After thermal denaturation at 95° C. for 20 sec, 30 cycles of amplification at 95° C. for 20 sec, 51° C. for 30 sec, and 72° C. for 1 min and 30 sec were carried out. A part of the amplified product was confirmed by 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. The remaining amplified product was precipitated with ethanol, digested with EcoRI and BamHI (when p5Bre2-15, pCAR25, pPC17, or pAK96K was used as the template) or with SmaI and HindIII (when pBS606 was used as the template), and then was subjected to 1% agarose gel electrophoresis. Then, the DNA fragment with an expected length was cut out from the agarose gel and purified (using a Gene Clean Turbo Kit: Q-BIOgene). The purified DNA was ligated to the EcoRI and BamHI sites of pUC18 or the SmaI and HindIII sites of pUC8 and transformed into E. coli JM109. The lead sequence in these β-galactosidase fusion protein expression plasmids, with 7 or 9 amino acids, i.e., Met-Thr-Met-Ile-Thr-Asn-Ser (when p5Bre2-15, pCAR25, pPC17, or pAK96K was used as the template) or Met-Thr-Met-Ile-Thr-Asn-Ser-Arg-Gly (when pBS606 was used as the template), was designed to be added to the Met of the original start of the individual crtZ.

Example 14 Construction of Canthaxanthin- or Astaxanthin-Producing E. Coli

The E. coli clones carrying the plasmid containing the individual ertZ genes were each cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap at 37° C. overnight, and then the plasmid was extracted. The nucleotide sequence of the extracted plasmid was confirmed using a Big Dye Terminator Cycle Sequencing Ready Reaction Kit ver.2 (Perkin-Elmer) and a model 3700 DNA sequencer (Perkin-Elmer) according to the attached protocol. The individual plasmids which were confirmed to contain the correct nucleotide sequence of crtZ gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212, Pantoea ananatis strain 20D3, Paracoccus sp. strain PC1, Paracoccus sp. strain N81106, or Flavobacterium sp. stain P99-3 were designated pUCBreZ, pUCPanZ, pUCParaPC1Z, pUCParaN8Z, and pUCP99Z, respectively. Canthaxanthin-producing E. coli (referred to as JM109Pancrt-Cantha) was constructed by introducing a plasmid pAC-Cantha into E. coli JM109 and selecting Cm-resistant colonies. Further, astaxanthin-producing E. coli was constructed by introducing a plasmid pAC-Cantha with pUCBreZ, pUCPanZ, pUCParaPC1Z, pUCParaN8W, or pUCP99Z into E. coli and selecting Ap- and Cm-resistant colonies. The E. coli transformants were designated JM109BreZ-asta, JM109PanZ-asta, JM109ParaPC1Z-asta, JM109ParaN8Z-asta, and JM109P99Z-asta.

Example 15 Analysis of Astaxanthin-Producing Efficiency in E. Coli Expressing Individual crtZ Genes

JM109Pancrt-Cantha was cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Cm and JM109BreZ-asta, JM109PanZ-asta, JM109ParaPC1Z-asta, JM109ParaN8Z-asta, and JM109P99Z-asta were each cultured in 4 ml of an LB liquid medium containing Ap and Cm at 37° C. overnight. Fifty microliters of each of the LB liquid media were inoculated into 4 ml of an LB liquid medium and subjected to main culture at 30° C. When A₆₀₀ became about 0.5, 0.5 mM of IPTG (isopropyl-β-D-thiogalactopyranoside) was added to the culture medium, followed by further culturing at 30° C. The cells were harvested by centrifugation of the culturing medium and washed with STE twice. Acetone (400 μl) was added thereto and vortexed to thereby transfer pigments from cells to acetone. The resulting mixture was centrifuged. The supernatant was filtered and subjected to pigment analysis with an HPLC-PDA system (Waters Alliance 2695 and 2996 photodiode array detector). In the HPLC-PDA, a TSK gel ODS-80Ts column (TOSOH) was used. The mobile phases were solution A (95% methanol) and solution B [methanol : tetrahydrofuran (THF)=7:3]. The elution program with a flow rate of 1.0 ml/min was as follows: 100% of the solution A for 5 min, a linear gradient from 100% of the solution A to 100% of the solution B for 5 to 10 min, and the solution B for 8 min. Pigments were detected with a photodiode array detector and analyzed with an accessory software Empower.

Analysis of pigments produced by various E. coli clones was conducted 48 hr after the addition of IPTG using an HPLC-PDA system (see FIG. 6). The results shows that almost all of pigments produced by JM109Pancrt-Cantha were canthaxanthin (RT 10.2 min, λmax 478 nm) (see FIG. 6 a). In each of JM109BreZ-asta, JM109PanZ-asta, JM109ParaPC1Z-asta, and JM109ParaN8Z-asta, in addition to a peak of the main pigment, astaxanthin, (RT 5.7 min, λmax 476 nm), a peak of adonixanthin (RT 7.2 min, λmax 463 nm) was observed (FIGS. 6 b, c, d, and e). In JM109P99Z-asta, canthaxanthin and adonirubin (Poenicoxanthin) (RT 8.6 min, λmax 470) were main pigments (FIG. 6 f). Further, as shown in FIG. 7, the astaxanthin contents in carotenoids accumulated in JM109BreZ-asta (symbol in the figure: ♦), JM109PanZ-asta (symbol in the figure: □), JM109ParaPC1Z-asta (symbol in the figure: ▴), JM109ParaN8Z-asta (symbol in the figure: ▾), and JM109P99Z (symbol in the figure: ●) after 48 hr after addition of IPTG were 42%, 29%, 21%, 17%, and 4%, respectively, and the content in JM109BreZ-asta was the highest during all culture phases.

As a result of this study, it has been revealed that CrtZ derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 most effectively produces astaxanthin. These results show that the crtZ gene derived from Brevundimonas sp. strain SD-212 is effective for mass-production for industrial use of astaxanthin and metabolites thereof (astaxanthin ester and the like) using a recombinant microorganism or recombinant plant.

The present specification encompasses the contents disclosed in the specifications and/or drawings of Japanese Patent Applications No. 2004-166625 based on which the present patent application claims priority. All publications, patents, and patent applications cited herein are incorporated herein by reference in their entirety. 

1. A microorganism or a plant transformed with a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene encoding (a) a peptide comprising the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity; or (b) a peptide comprising an amino acid sequence derived from the amino acid sequence set forth in SEQ ID NO: 2 by addition, deletion, or substitution of five or fewer amino acids and having a β-ionone ring-4-ketolase activity, the microorganism or the plant being capable of synthesizing astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin.
 2. The microorganism or the plant according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism or the plant is transformed by introducing said β-ionone ring-4-ketolase gene with at least one other carotenoid biosynthesis gene thereinto.
 3. The microorganism or the plant according to claim 2, wherein the at least one other carotenoid biosynthesis gene is all or a part of a gene cluster required for synthesizing a carotenoid containing a β-ionone ring that is hydroxylated at the position 3, from farnesyl pyrophosphate.
 4. The microorganism according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism is Escherichia coli.
 5. A method for preparing astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin, which comprises culturing the microorganism according to claim 1 in a medium and obtaining astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin from the culture or cells.
 6. A method for preparing astaxanthin or a metabolite thereof, which comprises cultivating the plant according to claim 1 and obtaining astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin from the plant.
 7. The microorganism or the plant according to claim 1, wherein the microorganism or the plant further produces at least one of echinenone, canthaxanthin, 3-hydroxyechinone, 3′-hydroxyechinone, adonirubin, and adonixanthin as an intermediate.
 8. The method for preparing astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin according to claim 5, wherein the microorganism further produces at least one of echinenone, canthaxanthin, 3-hydroxyechinone, 3′-hydroxyechinone, adonirubin, and adonixanthin as an intermediate.
 9. The method for preparing astaxanthin or an ester of astaxanthin according to claim 6, wherein the plant further produces at least one of echinenone, canthaxanthin, 3-hydroxyechinone, 3′-hydroxyechinone, adonirubin, and adonixanthin as an intermediate. 